Much as I love my niche, masculine fragrances (welcome back Helmut Lang), there’s no denying that timeless florals and fruity orientals are the biggest money spinners. And that’s for good reason – they have popular appeal. Rose is the exception to my no-florals rule, especially the current crop of rose scents that are a bit greener and fresher… Continue reading →

Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…
1. HELLO TRADEMARK
I’m keeping my eye on Trademark this year, a brand I only discovered a few weeks ago at their London press day. Shapes are simple, and a tiny bit preppie (well, there are sweatshirts) but it’s the overall presentation as ‘a brand’ that I like – focussed, clean and graphic. Continue reading →

Here’s something a bit different from Jo Malone London. Charlotte Stockdale has been the brand’s style editor for a while now but her influence isn’t always evident. But here it is in this home fragrance line called My Wanderlust. The fragrances reflect travel and the joy of exploration and the line includes a scent diffuser, candle, linen spray, soap and ‘square scents’ (for placing in drawers, wardrobe, luggage etc). Continue reading →

Bold plans are being forged at Vlisco, the Dutch textile company whose wax prints have been the toast of African fashionistas for over a century. If you don’t know the name, you’ll undoubtedly recognize the prints. They’re what we consider traditional ‘African’ prints even though they orginated in Indonesia before being adopted by the powerhouse that is the Vlisco manufacture, based in southern Holland.

While the prints have traditionally been sold by the yard to be made up by personal tailors into one-off garments, the brand is moving into off the peg territory. Continue reading →

Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. BURBERRY X VSCO

Everyone knows about Instagram, but VSCOcam is another photo social networking app that’s gaining popularity with photography fans and brands. Its filters are stunning and it lends itself to professional photographers and brands who want to create galleries (called ‘grids’) of a superior standard. Here’s one I discovered from VSCOcam and Burberry which lets users upload their own images to a ‘grid’ dedicated to rainy weather. Continue reading →

New makeup artist discovery: Emma Broom. We worked together on our Follow The Blue Line shoot (above) in November, when she stepped in at short notice on the recommendation of another makeup artist who had to cancel. In the event she was a perfect fit, translating our ‘no makeup makeup with a bit of extra “something”’ brief with this immaculate inky statement eye.

The photos speak for themselves (see them here) but I couldn’t let Emma go without asking some pressing beauty questions…

DISNEYROLLERGIRL: TELL ME ABOUT THE MAKEUP LOOK YOU CREATED ON MADDY (ABOVE)
Emma Broom: I wanted Maddy to have more then just a no makeup makeup, so I chose to emphasise her eyes in a glamorous grunge way. I kept the rest of her minimal.

DRG: HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THAT GORGEOUS SKIN WITHOUT CAKING ON LOADS OF PRODUCT?
EB: I always pay a lot of attention to prepping the skin, using products that hydrate and make the skin radiant. Once the skin is looking great and has a glow you don’t need to use as much make up base. I like skin to look real.

DRG: HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THE EYE LOOK?
EB: I only used 4 products on the eye. I used MAC Feline pencil into top and lower lash line. I really worked the pencil into the lower lash line, so it looked smudged and a bit messy. I then added MAC gel liner in Blacktrack and used it to create a deconstructed liner on the eye lid. I put MAC eyeshadow in Shroom over the ball of the eye and into the tearduct. I finished with lots of mascara.

DRG: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE JOB YOU’VE DONE RECENTLY?
EB: I loved assisting on one of the LOVE advent calendar days.

DRG: WHAT’S INSPIRING YOU CREATIVELY RIGHT NOW?
EB: I recently found inspiration from artist Gerhard Richter. I love his use of colour and I’ve now become obsessed with orange – I want to incorporate this into a beauty story.

Today’s the day! Tom Ford Lips And Boys (£26) is finally on counter, exclusively at Selfridges until stocks run out. To recap, the range consists of 50 mini sized (0.07 oz /2 g) priced Tom Ford lipsticks named after hot boys. I had a play earlier this month and loved Adriano (below), a smokin’ hot orange-tinged red tribute to some Latino boy or other, no doubt. Continue reading →

According to WWD, Preen’s pre-fall 2015 collection was inspired by 70s Faye Dunaway and 90s Courney Love and Kurt Cobain, which you can just detect in the plaid prints, jersey sweatshirting and abundance of sequins. I love the styling with the hair band and flat boots with bare legs, plus all the oversized proportions… Continue reading →

Here’s the latest ‘Ask Alison’ guest post from retail expert and DRG contributor, ALISON BISHOP, on the new editorial ‘hub’ from ShopStyle.

It seems like the whole *social-curation/discovery-commerce/influencer-marketing (*choose your term du jour) trend has been crystalised with a new collaboration between ShopStyle and American Express. After a soft launch in November, the Style Inspiration Hub will be live for six months and hosts a range of curated content from fashion and beauty bloggers, industry insiders and online retailers. Susie Bubble leads the charge, writing about her signature eclectic style.